Entering the Villa Santucci, from Souvenirs d’Italie: Expédition de Rome 1850

Auguste Raffet created this lithograph, "Entering the Villa Santucci," to document the French Expedition to Rome in 1849. Lithography, unlike painting or sculpture, is inherently a reproductive medium. The image is drawn on a stone with a greasy crayon, then chemically treated so that ink adheres only to the drawn areas. The resulting print carries a particular aura. Note the fine lines and tonal variations Raffet achieved; these were multiplied to disseminate his vision of the military campaign. Lithography’s link to mass production ties it to the social and political context of 19th-century Europe. The production of prints like these involved the division of labor: from quarrying the limestone, to preparing the stone, to the work of the artist, to the printing process itself. This makes us consider the many hands involved in creating a single image. Understanding the means of production allows us to appreciate its wider cultural significance, challenging our assumptions about art and labor.